


Menageries and Melancholies

by OublietteHeels



Category: Original Work
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Hentai, Lesbian Sex, Multi, Porn, Porn With Plot, Romance, Rough Sex, Sexual Content, Tentacle Monsters, Tentacle Sex, Tentacles, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:34:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21907555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OublietteHeels/pseuds/OublietteHeels
Summary: The future brings many things - but what does it leave behind?Bored with her lot, Mayu Chihara takes the recommendation of a friend to broaden her horizons, but is the dream she was promised enough?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	1. The Tiny

“Is that it?”

The two women sat on the edge of a single bed, staring at the floor. They had cleared a space on the carpet, pushing aside books and clothes, for a cubic storage container not entirely unlike an aquarium, its glass walls and floor perfectly clean on the outside. A dark cloth lay underneath, that had previously covered the tank and left it obscured.

“What were you expecting?”

Their eyes were not for the cloth, nor for the tank or the dishevelled state of the room. Their eyes were for the creature resting peacefully in the very centre of the tank, gently oozing a clear, viscous liquid. The creature had no eyes, no limbs, nothing of discernible shape, function, or definition. To all and sundry it seemed to be a simple, squishy, light blue blob, like a cushion left to marinate in honey.

“I think I’ll call it Chibi,” said the woman closest to it. She took out her phone and opened up an app, starting to enter some details. Her dark hair fell in long ribbons over indoor attire, a white undershirt and black shorts hugging a lithe body.

“Chibi?” parroted her friend, disbelief etched into her pale face. Having walked to her friend’s apartment, she wore slightly more layers, a loose shirt buttoned low, tucked into blue jeans. A winter coat lay discarded in a heap. “Mayu, I can’t believe you.”

“What?” Mayu drew her legs up, crossing them, and chewed on her free thumbnail as she checked over the registration form, “I can call it what I want.”

“Yes, that’s the point!” her friend exclaimed, “You had free reign. Absolutely free reign – and this is what you ended up with?”

She pointed to the creature, Chibi. It gave no response beyond oozing some more – its secretions had filled every corner of the floor, now, and the tank was slowly filling.

“I don’t see the problem,” Mayu huffed, “I’m not as adventurous as you, Tanami. It says here,” she showed her the phone, “That it’ll be released as soon as I agree to the terms and conditions.”

“Yeah – Mayu, listen-”

“Is that straight away? Is it gonna,” she gave Chibi a wary look, “Is it gonna… y’know…”

“They’re normally fed before they’re delivered – Mayu, why didn’t you show me your choices before you ordered?”

“What?”

“We could’ve picked something more fun, more interesting for you!”

Mayu did not like the emphasis on the word ‘interesting’. She tried to change the subject. “And the uh… the – what do you call it? Slime?”

“You’ll get used to it,” Tanami puffed out her cheeks, seeing that the conversation would not be steered where she wanted it to go. She sighed. “Is your appointment after the delivery? That’s weird.”

“Appointment?”

“For all the modifications,” she gave Mayu a sweeping look with electric blue eyes. Her auburn hair fell in sweeping, wavy, perfectly dishevelled tresses. Mayu’s cheeks flushed with colour.

“I already had it.”

Tanami’s jaw fell open. She covered it with both hands, hanging her head and groaning. “Mayu…”

“I didn’t want any changes!” she cried, flushing more heatedly, turning a brilliant shade of pink. She added with indignance. “I’m perfectly happy with the way I was, thank you very much.”

“You didn’t have anything done?”

“No!” Mayu paused. She sighed. “Well, one thing…”

She looked down. Tanami looked down. Mayu found her eyes lingering pointedly between her thighs and gave her push. “No!”

Tanami laughed. “Then what? You don’t look any different.”

“Not that you can see! I had that mole on my back removed.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes, that’s it.” Mayu rolled her eyes. “Okay, I’m gonna open the case.”

Her defeat absolute, her disappointment painfully apparent, Tanami groaned once more and leaned back, propping herself up on her hands. “Should I leave you to it?”

“No, no.” Mayu replied, placing a hand on Tanami’s leg. “You’re good at this. I want you to be here just- uh, just in case.”

Once more, they turned to watch Chibi. Mayu made a squeamish noise, seeing that its slime had filled a decent amount of the small case; the creature was now half-submerged. “Eugh…”

“It’s perfectly hygienic. They use it to keep everything clean.”

“It looks gross.” Mayu sighed, her breath shuddering. Her throat began to tighten, her palms sweating cold. “Ready?” she asked.

“Ready? It’s yours – are you?”

“I don’t know…”

“It’ll be fine.” Tanami set her hand on Mayu’s shoulder, taking a moment to push back an errant strand of hair, and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “It won’t do anything you don’t tell it to do.”

Mayu frowned. She looked down at the large green button marked ‘Accept’ on her phone, then back up to Chibi. The fact that it hadn’t moved an inch since arriving unnerved her.

She gulped, closed her eyes, and slammed her thumb down on her phone, hitting accept.

A soft hiss marked the cage’s opening, as the air inside and out reached equilibrium. The glass retracted, shortening and shrinking into a small metal plate right beneath Chibi. A small slurping noise followed the slime’s disappearance back into the main body, and the creature itself gave a curious wobble as its environment changed. Despite sucking in half its body weight of the stuff, it had not changed size.

Mayu gave a squeak of apprehension; Tanami, of excitement. Chibi rolled off the metal plate and onto the carpet, finding a perfectly flat space to settle, and then stopped, no longer oozing, a foot from the bed.

“That’s it?” Mayu muttered, arching a brow. Tanami laughed.

“What did you expect?”

“I don’t know. What was Sei-chan like?”

“She knocked on the door. No cage.”

“Oh.” Mayu frowned. “She can do that?”

Tanami nodded. The squeeze on Mayu’s shoulder turned into a push. “Well? What are you waiting for? Go say hi!”

She slid off the bed at her best friend’s urging, the tip of her toe touching a part of the carpet mere inches from Chibi. Mayu spread her weight carefully, tiptoeing around and eventually kneeling at the creature’s side. “It doesn’t move very much,” she mumbled.

“It won’t,” sighed Tanami, “If it’s as beige as I think you asked for, it’ll only do anything when you explicitly tell it to.”

Mayu shot Tanami a defensive glare. Tanami grinned, making a part-urging, part-shooing gesture. “Come on, now,” she said, “Focus on what’s in front of you. Give it a pat.”

Her throat constricted once more. The distraction of her friend ended, sparking again the tension welling up in her. She leaned forward, suddenly very conscious of her exposed arms and legs – indeed, every inch of her body that wasn’t clothed seemed charged with apprehension. “I’m not sure I can do this,” she said, her courage faltering.

“Mayu,” Tanami rebuked, her tone sharp, “This is good for you, remember? We talked about this.”

“I know – I know, but-”

“No buts! Reach out your hand!”

“Fine!” In the midst of their shouting match, Mayu had unconsciously done what Tanami wanted her to do, leaning forward and placing her hand almost defiantly on Chibi’s body. Realising this, she yelped and made to pull away, but too late. Chibi stretched with her, leaning into the palm of her hand as she pulled it away, its base shrinking as it extended itself. She felt an undulation in its cool, surface, almost like a nuzzle.

“There, see?” Tanami exclaimed, beaming. “Not so hard.”

She gasped exhilaration, beholding Chibi. “He’s cool,” she noted, lowering her hand once more and giving him a proper pat.

“He’s a he?”

“W-well, given what I asked for…” Mayu stammered.

Tanami rolled her eyes but didn’t lose her smile. “Well, he’ll warm up soon enough. Can you carry him?”

Mayu found that she could. Upon scooping her arm under Chibi, she half-expected him to slop out of her arms like broken jelly, but he kept his form remarkably well, holding his orb-like shape until she squeezed him under her chest, bringing him onto her lap and returning to Tanami’s side. Her cheeks flushed as Chibi settled contentedly on her lap.

“He’s kinda cute, looking at him,” Tanami gave a thoughtful hum. “When’s he due a feed?”

“U-um…” Mayu fumbled for her phone, checking the alerts added automatically to her phone, “An hour? Oh god, so soon? Tanami-”

“Hey, hey – no need to panic!” She giggled. “It’s not like you have to do anything.”

Mayu gave her best friend a tremulous, pleading look. Tanami went slightly pink. “You’re not asking me to stay.”

Mayu nodded. “Just for the first! Please…!”

Tanami folded her legs, her misgivings plain upon her face. “I don’t know… Sei-chan wouldn’t like it if I got involved…”

“I’m not asking you to do that!” Mayu threw up her hands, as scarlet as Chibi was blue. He seemed wholly unperturbed by the agitation, swaying calmly in her lap. “Just- j-just watch. I don’t know… I don’t know what I’m doing…”

It was Tanami’s turn to blush. She scratched her cheek, looking away. “Mayu…”

She looked back and, seeing Mayu’s eyes begin to tremble and shimmer, sighed heavily, “Fine! Fine. I’ll stay. Just let me call Sei-chan, let her know.”

She swung off the bed and hurried out of the room, grabbing her own phone. Mayu waited until she heard Tanami speaking softly in the lounge before she chanced a look down at Chibi. He was translucent, and she could see her legs through his body, see her shorts hitched up a little way with how her legs crossed to keep him on her lap. She envisioned the white, plain panties she’d chosen for a day spent waiting for Chibi’s delivery. The realization of what she had just asked Tanami to do began to dawn, causing her body to tremble. Was it excitement she felt? Fear? Anxiety? Both? She thought about the conversation a week ago that led to this moment, and swore under her breath at her best friend. Would this truly be good for her?

“What do you think?” she asked Chibi, looking moodily down at the featureless blue mass. True to Tanami’s word, he was no longer cool. He easily matched her body temperature, but gave no response. She jiggled him in his lap. “What am I doing, asking you? It’s my choice – it’s my body…”

Mayu picked Chibi up, holding him out at arm’s length. With only gravity to hold him, he drooped slightly, tapering his natural form. The shape prompted her to ask another question she’d been wondering. “How do you even work?” she wondered aloud – and then, her throat drying at the mere thought of the next question, “What does it look like?”

It happened immediately. The dangling portion of Chibi’s body began to shiver and shift, turning opaque. The tapering point swelled, the drooping base thinned, and before her widening eyes took shape one of Chibi’s advertised tentacles, about as long as her forearm and as thick as three fingers. The head glistened with slime, bulging over artificial foreskin. It drooled, expectant. Hungering.

Mayu shrieked. She dropped Chibi on the bed. Tanami shot through the door, her phone alight with the call, her eyes wild. “Mayu!?”

“I-i-it…” She pointed at Chibi, and to her shame saw her finger shaking more violently than ever before. Tanami followed her finger, saw Chibi lying prone, perfectly still, with its dick-shaped tentacle stretched out, and snorted with laughter. “Don’t laugh!” cried Mayu, tears smarting, “It’s massive! Look at that thing! Where is that supposed to go!? Where is that supposed to fit!”

Tanami burst out into proper laughter, clutching her sides. “Sorry – sorry, Sei-chan. Sorry love – love? I have to go. Mayu’s-” She spluttered, “Mayu’s just… she’s adjusting.”

She hung up and sat on the side of the bed nearest to Mayu, who had pushed herself up against the headboard. She giggled the last wisps of her laughter away, wiping her eyes. “Oh my god… What did you ask it?”

“Nothing!” Mayu shouted. “I only wondered what it – what it was going to look like…”

“And it heard you, understood, and showed you. What did you expect?” Tanami sighed, stroking a hand over Mayu’s hair. “It doesn’t understand rhetorical questions – it understands questions and orders, and responds in kind. That’s how they’re made when they’re like this.”

Tanami looked down the bed at Chibi. She licked her lips. “What do you think?”

“Wh-what do I think?” Mayu repeated, “What do I think? Tanami, it’s- how is that going to go anywhere near me?”

“Oh, it’ll fit. You remember the appointment, right?”

“I-I mean…” Mayu did. She remembered the surgeon’s words, and the second revelation struck her like a bolt. She looked down at her body. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.” Tanami assured. “Sei-chan’s okay with it. I can help you get ready, help you this first time – but only this first time. Clear?”

“Mmm…” Mayu hummed, drawing her knees up to her chest. She couldn’t take her eyes of Chibi, whose tentacle now lay in a wet patch on the duvet. “‘Kay.”

“Okay.” Tanami exhaled. “So. Shall we?”

“What – now?”

“Yes, now! When else?” Tanami snapped her fingers. “You can feed him whenever you want – the alerts are only recommendations in place to keep you from starving him.”

Mayu let out another uncomfortable noise. Tanami said her name in a warning tone, and she decided in that moment – if only to spare herself from her friend’s disdain after putting out so much to help – to commit. “Alright! Alright. I need a drink.”

“You gonna do it drunk?”

“Of water!”

“Oh, right.” Tanami stood again. “I’ll go get that. You get yourself ready.”

She left again. Mayu hung her head, but did her best to steel herself for what was inevitably to come. She hooked her thumbs into the elastic of her shorts, pulling them down to her knees, all the while watching Chibi. He didn’t move, beyond the slow undulation of his only tentacle. She examined it with more focus, Tanami’s promised assistance inspiring some small amount of courage. It was smoother than she envisioned, no veins to pump blood through engorging muscle, no twitching excitement, no musk.

She chewed her lip. It certainly had its advantages…

Tanami sidled back into the room, handing Mayu a glass of water which she gulped down in one, spluttering. “Easy,” she joked, softly, “How’s Chibi?”

“He’s not doing much,” Mayu gestured his way, “Just kinda… sitting there.”

“He looks excited.”

“You think?” Mayu tilted her head. “He just seems – I don’t know – there?”

“Well, he’s there for you.” Tanami noted. “You ready?”

“I guess…” Mayu shifted. “What do I do?”

“Well, we should get you ready first.” Tanami’s eyes flicked down. “Though – maybe not?”

“What?” Mayu’s gaze dropped. She took a sharp breath, seeing a patch in her panties. Quickly, she jammed her thighs together, knocking her knees painfully. “This is so embarrassing…”

“It’s not,” assured Tanami, “It’s just sex. Nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Mayu groaned into her hands. “You sure you’re okay with this?” she whined.

“Me? Yeah!” Tanami smiled, placing her hands on both of Mayu’s shoulders. She realised that Tanami was pushing her to move, navigating her gently so that she could sit, legs splayed, behind her friend. “Happy to help. Besides – I’ve never seen you this flustered.”

“Shuddup.” Mayu pouted as she wiggled her way into position. Tanami was softer than the headboard, her breasts – bigger than her own – pushed into her back, warm through her shirt. Her hands settled at Mayu’s hips.

“It’s cute!” she crooned, “A bit like Sei-chan, actually. Remind me to ask her about you joining in.”

“What!?”

“Kidding! Kidding.” Tanami settled her chin on Mayu’s shoulder, looking over to Chibi. “Okay. First.”

“First…” Mayu nodded, shaky. Tanami’s hands moved deftly, sliding panties down with her shorts over legs which she moved to accommodate. They landed with the rest of her clothes.

“Top on?” Tanami breathed. Mayu shivered. She smelled sweet. She smelled alive. Chibi… well, he didn’t smell. She couldn’t think what he smelled of. She couldn’t think.

Mayu shook her head. Tanami took that off too, and unhooked her bra. Tanami’s heat contrasted harshly with the cool air conditioning of her room.

She felt her friend’s hands wandering, linking around her stomach. “Hey…” she whispered, squirming slightly.

“Can’t help myself,” she teased, “Okay. The rest is on you. He should recognise your voice. Call him over.”

Mayu stared at Chibi. She opened her mouth, her voice failing. Tanami whispered a soothing nothing in her ear, lips brushing against her cheek. “Ch-Chibi?” she croaked.

The tentacle stopped its slow undulation. Its attention, now rapt, froze it in place.

“Tell it what to do,” she continued, “Be precise. Don’t ask. Don’t hesitate. Be clear. Okay?”

She took a long moment finding her voice. Anticipation bound her breath, tightened her fingers. She set her hands on Tanami’s legs, squeezing her jeans. Every muscle tensed.

“Chibi,” she croaked. Mayu cleared her throat. “Chibi.”

His tentacle twitched. Mayu scrunched her eyes.

“Fuck me.”

He answered quickly. His tentacle lashed in the direction of her voice, found her ankle, and latched on. Mayu squeaked, flinching.

Tanami quickened, squeezing Mayu’s midriff. The tentacle began to coil up her leg, cool and smooth as it wound its way up her thigh, leaving a trail of slick slime. Chibi wasted no time – the swollen head of the tentacle pushed against her. She reflexively tensed, drawing her legs up. “It’s okay!” Tanami exclaimed, squeezing her again, “Relax, Mayu. Relax…”

Mayu tried a few steadying breaths, each one hitching as Chibi’s tentacle stroked her. Little jolts of uncomfortable pleasure twitched up her spine, knotting her stomach. “Easy,” whispered Tanami, “Easy. Just breathe, Mayu. Just breathe…”

She trembled, but slowly steadied her breathing. As if sensing her nerves, by touch of by some hidden sense, Chibi’s stroking slowed. The head pushed against her pussy, neither insistent nor demanding. Her nerves began to cool; between Tanami’s assurances and Chibi’s rhythm, she found her own pace. Mayu’s eyes fluttered, drifting shut. Each stroke wiped her doubts clean, melted her anxieties, eased her fears. She let loose a quivering, shuddering breath. “Oh…”

“Nice, hm?” Tanami sang, sweet. She kissed Mayu’s neck, blazing.

“M-mm…”

Chibi continued, pushing more hungrily. She felt his slime mix with her excitement. “Let him in,” Tanami cooed, “Go on. Enjoy it…”

Mayu lifted her legs, resting her feet on the outside of Tanami’s outstretched legs. She uncoiled one hand from her best friend’s jeans and reached between her legs, blindly grasping for Chibi’s tentacle. It stilled to her touch but slipped with how wet it was. She guided him tremulously between her legs. The last of her reservations sank into the haze of the promise of ecstasy. “In,” she commanded.

Chibi thrust. She gasped, a pitch of pleasure and release. He filled her, and her body happily stretched, modified to welcome such vigour. The response was so sudden that her fingers flexed and her back arched. She gripped the duvet, swearing. Chibi pulled out, the swell of the head stroking every inch of her insides before pressing back into her. The rhythm that eased her into the experience now drove her into a squirming frenzy. She pushed back against Tanami, who gasped and clutched her close, holding her steady. Mayu drunkenly noticed a small pressure at the small of her back and a lack of one of Tanami’s hands. The hand remaining slipped down, pressing against her stretching crotch, relishing the pulse of tentacle flesh under her skin. Tanami’s free hand pressed frantically between her own legs.

Her head lolled back against Tanami’s shoulder. It had barely begun, but she neared her limit already. She felt it build at the base of her spine, felt her body coil tighter and tighter around Chibi’s length. The beast itself pushed harder, unrelenting. Her moans filled the room, her excitement sparked fire in her blood, flushing her cheeks. She raked a hand through long, tangle hair. Mayu ached, gasped, cursed, squirmed – and then came violently, tremors tearing through her throat. The quaking spiked as Chibi’s tentacle pulsed, swelled, and she nearly screamed as he followed her pace, cum splashing messily over the length of the tentacle, smearing her thighs. He slipped out of her, retreating, dragging a spent tentacle behind him.

For a long moment – a lifetime, surely – Mayu shivered and twitched against Tanami, breath shaky. Her fingers scrabbled to find feeble purchase on her friend’s legs, and she looked through the haze of a heady afterglow up as her friend.

Tanami kissed her cheek, her own cheeks hot with her enjoyment of the show. “Good?” she breathed.

“Fuck.” Mayu groaned, trying to move. “Holy – god, what a mess…!”

Tanami laughed. She squeezed Mayu in a tight hug – which served only to push a fair quantity of Chibi’s cum out into the pool between her legs. “Not quite. Watch.”

“Huh…?” She sniffed, smelling sticky sweetness that lingered in the air, but consented to watch. Sure enough, the cum evaporated, disappearing into nothingness. Even Chibi, who had settled at the far corner on the bed, his original shape restored, looked completely clean. “You’re kidding…”

“Perks, eh?” Tanami grinned, “The slime’s perfect for your use, too. Keeps everything nice and clean.”

“Mnh…” Mayu sighed, pushing her hair back once more. The tangle of chocolate splayed across her breasts made her think of cutting it short, before she thought better of it.

“How was that?”

“Good,” she ceded, heaving a breath. Then, with a sideways glance, she added, “And you?”

Tanami turned pink. “Good. Sei-chan’s gonna kill me.”

“What?”

“Nah. She knew what this meant. I told her I’d help you.”

“Thank you,” Mayu murmured.

For a long while they lay there, resting. Then, with an abrupt change in tone, Tanami clapped her hands together. “Hungry?”


	2. The Sapient

The first generations of a world without need threw themselves into what was coined, at the time, a ‘proper panic’. Paradigms of supply and demand crumbled first, followed swiftly by profit and loss. Companies fell soon after, and in the rubble of a world dominated by money, humanity collectively asked themselves “What now?”  
Such was the tale told by Mayu’s grandparents, anyway. It had been a long time since even they had been told the stories. She took it as writ and accepted her lot as one of the many who could live without that old fear, poverty, and dedicated herself to the furtherment of the species’ ever-diversifying cultural and scientific explorations.  
At least, that had been the idea. It turned out that with centuries of giants’ shoulders to stand upon, the fundamentals of any chosen subject were now so complex and impenetrable that even the most advanced memory acquisition and teaching techniques could only carry one so far. Theatre, genetic engineering, novella writing – Mayu had even, in her last semester, tried ‘The Role of Larger Genitalia in the Pleasures of Pornographic Literature’, but found the topic so unpalatable – and so explicit – that she fled before the first month was out. Scrubbing one’s memories was an arduous task, but she had been loath to discard the entirety of that throbbing experience, for it had been in those darkened lecture halls that she had met Tanami Kanaoka; and it had been Tanami who introduced her to the idea of caring for a tentacle pet.  
“I think they called them otaku,” she’d explained over a coffee at Mayu’s single-bedroom apartment, “Anyway, some horny shmuck weaselled his way into a genetics lab and started chasing his lifelong dream of engineering these, uh, ‘friendly’ critters. Little blobs at first, but soon people were making requests. He made an app, set up a service, and here we are a hundred-and-fifty years on.”  
The advantage of living as their civilization did was that even the smallest markets, those that would once have withered before the vine had even considered growing them, was that so long as a single person anywhere in the world desired such a thing, it would be ready for them – and it so happened that quite a large number of people enjoyed pets that took care of their owners as much as they took care of their pets. Enough to form a rather dedicated subculture that continued the pioneer’s proud work, with social networks and pet meets, swaps, and all kinds of innovative services. “That’s how I met Sei-chan.” Tanami continued, “Best thing I ever did. The app even wraps up the engineering you need to deal with the care, so it’s as easy as a couple of taps.”  
Tanami had noticed Mayu’s ennui within days of sitting next to her, and her empathy led her to reach out. She’d appreciated the gesture at first – even welcomed the interest of someone who wasn’t so whole-heartedly absorbed in their shared ‘course material’. As an artist, she’d taken the course for reference – and one quiet, drunken evening exposed Mayu to enough of Tanami’s chosen aesthetic to last a considerable number of lifetimes. Through these conversations, and Mayu’s eventual desensitizing to Tanami’s favourite topics of conversation, she slowly began to strike at the heart of Mayu’s problem.  
“You lack purpose.”  
“I do not!” she had protested, sloshing her wine in her effort to sit up straight, “I do not.”  
“Hey, it’s okay!” Tanami waved a calming hand. “I get it. I totally get it. Before Sei-chan I was just like you…”

So it had gone for months, and months until finally, Mayu caved and promised to give it a try. That same night she had downloaded the app, picked her preferences, and within the week Chibi had arrived.

Now, one weak-kneed shower later, Mayu recounted the steps that led her to this moment with a cocktail of confusion and consideration. The muddled mist of the past twenty minutes lingered in her mind, causing her to shiver with exhilaration whenever her mind’s eyes dared to skirt the edges of Chibi’s feeding. Had this truly been her choice? Had she not just caved to Tanami’s pestering?  
As she mused on this, Mayu poked her head out of the bathroom and into her bedroom. Chibi sat contentedly in his case, now shifting and sliding around the confines without her prompting. Tanami had explained that they tended to get a little hyper immediately after feeding, depending on their temperament. She flushed at the merest thought of the creature’s capabilities.  
Her knees gave a warning wobble. Mayu stowed those thoughts and snatched up her shorts, pulling them on. She found a different t-shirt, black this time, on her way to the lounge and pulled that on, shivering as the wet strands of her hair pressed against her back. She pulled those hastily out and threw them over one shoulder, letting them drape all the way down to her stomach.

Tanami reclined on the sofa resting against the far wall. Mayu hovered at the door, watching her. She hadn’t bothered with the TV that hung on the wall opposite, nor had she bothered to dress beyond her underwear. Her legs kicked idly up into the air as she whispered sweetly into her phone.  
Mayu sidled in and made some small effort to clean, adjusting books and wiping dust off the less-used shelves and study desk. Her apartment had every amenity she’d requested, and sat at the heart of the city, within walking distance of the boutiques and galleries that she and Tanami perused. It was also far away from her family, a choice she’d made as she began her studies. They were a short flight away, and visited occasionally, but she made no secret of her desire to strike out and live on her own. What would they say, she wondered, if they ever found out about Chibi?  
“Thanks, babe. See you soon.” Tanami hung up, sitting up straight. She hadn’t showered, and her messy hair showed tangles from the agitation. Mayu scented her sweat, and smiled nervously her way. “Sei-chan’s grabbing us a pizza on the way here. I’d make one, but that would mean effort.”  
“Sei-chan’s coming over?” Mayu asked, now feeling underdressed. She cast about for something more substantial to wear.  
“You don’t mind, do you?” Tanami asked. “I was gonna stay over whilst you adjusted, and she’s the clingy sort. I might have to help her settle when she gets here.”  
“Don’t mind!” Mayu squeaked. “No – n-no, not at all. Um… What kind of pizza…?”  
“Meat feast!” Tanami punched the air. “My girl knows how to treat me right.”  
She settled on the arm of the sofa, watching Tanami. A question slipped out, unbidden. “Is she okay?”  
“Sure.” Tanami crossed her legs, facing her. She rested her head on one palm, unabashedly naked from the waist up. Mayu interested herself in the blank TV screen. “I told her what we were gonna do – hell, before you’d ordered Chibi I figured you might need some help. It’s been on the table for a little while.”  
“Couldn’t you just do what you wanted?” Mayu frowned. “She’s your pet, right?”  
Tanami shook her head. “She’s not just a pet. We’ve got a bond, and that bond means trust. She looks after me like I look out for her. That’s what being the owner of a sapient pet means.”  
Sapient… Mayu remembered the intelligence options. That put Sei-chan’s emotional and intellectual development miles ahead of Chibi’s. “She’s like us?”  
“She’s as good as,” Tanami agreed, “If it walks, talks, and feels like a human, why wouldn’t it be any different?”  
“I guess you’re right.” Mayu looked at the door to her bedroom. In that moment, Tanami flung herself forward, seized Mayu around the waist, and pulled her backwards onto the sofa proper. She fell back with a squeak and flailed to escape, but to no avail – of the two, Tanami spent more time out doing things, and held her with perfect ease. “Tanami-! I thought you said Sei-chan wouldn’t like this?”  
“I meant Chibi,” Tanami moved her into position between her legs, so that they settled into an undeniably comfortable cuddle, “Does it bother you?”  
“Well, no- but…”  
“If I came home drenched in another pet’s scent, she’d react. But she’s been around you for ages, and she knows what you mean to me.”  
Her quick and easy answers made Mayu feel like she’d been rehearsing. She pouted. “Does it bother you?” Tanami asked again, the tiniest edge of insistence in her voice. “Just say the word and I’ll stop.”  
“It doesn’t bother me.” Mayu sighed. “Turn the TV on.”  
She obliged. Mayu did her best to settle into this new territory with Tanami, as fellow pet owner and… what? Friend? Friend with benefits? She couldn’t quite find the words, and her attention was already divided two ways – between the TV, and what lay beyond her bedroom door. Next time, it would be down to her to feed Chibi. Her toes curled, and she found herself more thankful than ever for the modifications they’d engineered into her body. In this, Mayu found another question, and looked up at Tanami, who engrossed herself in the droning mid-afternoon comedy. “Hey, Tanami?”  
“Hm?”  
“What did you look like before you adopted Sei-chan?”  
“Huh?” She looked down. “Does it matter?”  
“No – just, you never showed me, and you were so surprised when I settled for how I looked. Made me wonder how… different you were.”  
She chuckled softly, and reached for her phone on the sofa arm. She reassured her grip around Mayu’s waist, giving them both a good look at her phone screen. “Let me see if I can find a photo. It’s been ages…”  
“How long have you had her?”  
“Since I was twenty.”  
“Seven years? That long?”  
“Time flies, my little Mayu.” Tanami scrolled past selfies and couple shots, even a couple of specialist photos. “Oh, these I took for us after five, speaking of.”  
“You took these?”  
“I had a brief fling with a camera before I took up the brush.” She angled her phone so Mayu could see better. In the artificial black-and-white filter, Sei-chan’s normally chameleonic flesh looked practically human. It could have been two girls kissing under starlight, or beaming goofily at the camera, and the world wouldn’t know the difference. “You like?”  
“I do.”  
“Get to five and maybe I’ll take some more, eh?”  
“Hey…!” Mayu nudged Tanami’s thigh. “That’s between you and her.”  
“Sorry, sorry. Just spitballing. Let’s see…”  
She continued scrolling. Mayu’s attention drifted back to the TV as the reporter began talking about the opening of a new virtual space. How long had it been since she felt this at ease, and to whom should she give the credit? Had Chibi released all her tension, or had Tanami given her the comfort she’d been craving?  
“Gotcha!” Tanami broke her reverie. “Here – now, bear in mind this was nearly ten years ago, but…”  
Mayu looked down at a stranger. Short black hair, pale green eyes, hunched shoulders… but there were Tanami’s freckles, and the same half-smile she always kept when she was idle. Mayu turned, kneeling between Tanami’s legs. She gripped the phone and held it out next to her head. It was like looking at someone who wasn’t quite finished. Her electric blue eyes, almost luminescent, shimmered with humour. “Like what you see?”  
Mayu nodded. She felt a soft pressure on her neck as Tanami’s fingers touched her skin, and then with the gentlest of coaxing, they were kissing. Mayu thrummed against Tanami’s lips, moving to lay properly on her friend’s chest. Her hands tangled in auburn tresses, and she filled each breath with the scent that lingered from their last embrace. Her mouth watered, her tongue slipped easily over hers as their embrace deepened. She felt hands on her rear and then-  
Crack.  
Tanami swore. Mayu jumped off her. “What? What was that?”  
“My fucking phone…” She leaned awkwardly to see. In the heat of it, they’d pushed the phone onto the hardwood floor. Tanami reached for it and turned it over, grimacing at the spidering gash scarring the screen. “Son of a- where’s your Panagel?”  
“Oh, um – I’ve-”  
The doorbell rang. Tanami swore again. “And that’s Sei-chan. Can you?”  
She proffered her broken phone, which Mayu took. They freed themselves from each other and Mayu hastened to the kitchen, where a small dispensary hummed quietly on the corner wall. She tapped it, and a packet of gel dropped onto the counter, which she pushed the phone into. At once the nanites began their work, repairing the phone by synthesising new glass, repairing any damaged circuitry, renewing the battery.  
“Hey!” She heard Tanami’s tone brighten. “Come on in, come- whoa!”  
Mayu span on her heel. Sei-chan had pushed Tanami to the ground, leaving the door to swing shut as she pressed as close as she could to her owner. Sei-chan stood shorter than Tanami did – not that it meant much, given her abilities – with skin that flickered different colours depending on her environment and mood. It was currently bright yellow. She wore long hoodie, almost like a robe, that fell over legs which were very quickly taking on tentacle shapes. “Mayu – Mayu’s here, Sei-chan. Can this- no? Okay, okay… Mayu!”  
“What?”  
“I’m gonna need your lounge.”  
“What?” Her mind blanked.  
“I’m – gonnaah…” Tanami groaned. Mayu’s cheeks burned.  
“Right! Right! I’ll, uh. I’ll be in… my room…”  
She fled the scene, chased by the sounds of Tanami’s sensual surprise, and didn’t stop until she’d slammed the door between them. Mayu sank to the floor, back sliding against the door, chest heaving. She had never known Sei-chan to be so demanding – but then again, she’d never seen Sei-chan after a day out with Tanami, so how would she know?  
Her apartment’s walls were not the thickest. She could not help but listen as Sei-chan had her way with Tanami. Mayu realised she was holding her breath when she found herself beset by a sudden gulp of air. She could still taste Tanami on her lips, and now she was in Sei-chan’s grasp, stripped of her only garment, wrapped tight in Sei-chan’s innumerable appendages…  
She wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth. She checked her shorts, blushing even more. She was enjoying this audio-only glimpse into Tanami’s life more than her good sense thought proper.  
As if on cue, the faintest slap of flesh on glass reminded her of Chibi’s presence in the room. She crawled over to his case.  
She shouldn’t. She couldn’t! What would Tanami say? What would she do?  
The last question answered the rest. Mayu recalled how Tanami had enjoyed offering her help, and resolved herself. She released Chibi from his case, scooped him up, and sidled back to the door. Her heart thumped a frantic beat against her chest, her breathing nearly blocked out the noise from the lounge. Tanami moaned, a strangled noise that sounded like something filled her mouth. Mayu pictured Sei-chan’s tentacle jammed down a throat stretched wide. She lingered on the thought of Tanami gagging, trails of spit dribbling down her chin, bubbling as she forced ragged, frantic air through what little gaps were left in her mouth.  
Chibi squirmed. Brought back, Mayu realised that he responded to her arousal, trying to squeeze between her legs. “We’re just playing,” she whispered, “Just playing…”  
He seemed to understand that. Like before, the back half of his mass began to twist and shape itself. Small bumps and ridges sprouted on one half of the tentacle, which slopped clumsily against her bare leg. Slime drooled down her thigh towards her soaked panties. She grabbed him, impatient, and pushed the obstructing lace to one side. Tanami continued to choke and groan on the other side of the door.  
Mayu jammed the grinding tentacle against her crotch. Chibi began to lap and swirl over soaked flesh, every coarse millimetre of his tentacle rubbing anything it could reach. Mayu slapped a hand over her mouth and bit down hard on her finger, strangling the delighted scream before it grew too loud. She pushed up against the door, back arched, streaming eyes cast skyward. A thousand curses dripped over her panting, each set gulped down for seconds spent lingering, ear pressed against the door, longing for any lurid hint of what Sei-chan was doing to Tanami. Chibi shifted and rolled with the frantic jerk of her hips, each shock of joy turning into a thrust against his tentacles. Her mind swam, the images of Tanami stuffed and strangled blurring into dreams of Mayu in her place, her jaw achingly wide, her throat bulging with the force of each thrust of Chibi’s tentacles.  
Her hand fumbled over her breasts, gripping hard, tugging and pulling. She abandoned all pretence of concealment as the pleasure, like acid, corroded her control. Mayu head slammed against the door, a guttural groan stripping her insides of her decency as she came for the second time that day, harder and heavier than before. Her fist balled and pounded the carpet as she rode the waves of Chibi’s affections until, at last, she could bear it no longer. She slumped to the side, pushing the creature away with her feet, her eyes glassy and unfocussed, her breathing wet, heaving. Incoherent in the afterglow, she absently rubbed her fingers between her legs, longing to be back in the throes and yet keenly aware of her limits. Her legs twitched with every touch.  
She raised her hand to the light. Her fingers glistened, and she couldn’t tell if it was hers or his that sullied her. Mayu thrust her index finger slowly between her lips, rolling the taste over her tongue, relishing it. A day was all it had taken to convert her, and she no longer cared. Her mind blearily sang the praises of the horny shmuck who had invented these divine creatures.

Mayu registered a knock on the door a few moments after the sound pierced her ears. Tanami’s voice came out, muffled by the wood and drowned out by Mayu’s ragged breaths. “Mayu?” she sounded like standing was a task, “Mayu, I’m done. We’re done.”  
“M-mhm?” She trembled. With another nudge, Chibi slid back to his case, which reformed around him. “Good!”  
“You okay in there?”  
“What? Yeah! Yeah, I’m fine.” She groaned, willing herself to sound more normal than she did. “I’m fine!”  
The handle turned, and Mayu was jolted forward by Tanami trying to open the door. She sounded more concerned when she next spoke. “You okay down there?”  
“Yes! Absolutely!”  
Tanami sniffed. Mayu looked up at the comprehension dawning, lighting up the mischievous smirk. She saw a trickle of evaporating white on the corner of her lip. “Uhuh… pizza’s getting cold.”  
“Pizza?”  
“The pizza Sei-chan brought.”  
“Oh…”  
“Need a hand?”  
“N-no, no. I’m good.” Mayu struggled to her feet, grasping the doorframe. Despite her refusal, Tanami seized her under the arm and helped her stand, walking her back to the sofa.  
Sei-chan reclined on the sofa much as Tanami had, her eyes on the TV. As a hybrid, she looked like a cross between Chibi and a human, with translucent, shifting skin, now a mellow pink. She had enough definition in her features to blink widely and smile at Mayu as she entered, speaking in a quiet, babbling gurgle. “Mayu.”  
“That’s me,” she sighed, making to flop onto the chair next to the sofa.  
Tanami grabbed her. “Ah-ah-ah.”  
“What?”  
“You think I’d leave you to the cold?” she gestured to Sei-chan. She smiled, and slowly began to expand. Grasping tentacles bloomed from a swelling bulk that pushed up the hem of her hoodie. Tanami pulled her onto her partner and they sank into a gelatinous cushion, warmer than the rest of the room. “Aaahh…” Tanami stretched out. “This is the life.”  
Mayu sat straight-backed, unsure what to make of it. Oblivious, Tanami reached out for the pizza box, setting it between them and helping herself to a slice. “Good, huh?”  
“What?” Mayu averted her knowing look, becoming incredibly interested in the pizza. “Meat feast is your favourite, right?”  
“You know it.” Tanami nudged closer. Sei-chan’s weight shifted, and before she realised what was happening Mayu had an arm around her. “I didn’t realise you were such a perv.”  
“I’m not!” she cried, “I’m not – you just… it was so sudden, and he was just there.”  
“And then he was right… there.” Tanami pointed between her legs. Mayu burned, caught. “Hey, I don’t judge. How did it sound?”  
“Like you were having fun.”  
“Oh, I was.” She beamed.  
“A lot of fun,” Sei-chan burbled, deepening Mayu’s blush.  
Tanami reached out to run a hand through a thick strand of hair-shaped gel. “Don’t tease, love.” she giggled, “Well, now that you’re sold, we can talk more openly about what comes next?”  
“Eh?” Mayu couldn’t resist anymore. She snatched a slice and wolfed it down, settling more properly into Tanami’s arm.  
“You picked the default pet, right? Standard intelligence, portable, basic growths – maybe a couple of extra toys?”  
She nodded. Tanami’s smile widened.  
“How ‘bout we get him some upgrades?”


End file.
